Relationship Tip from a Married Guy: A Surprisingly Sweet Thing Men Secretly Want from Women

The cynical side of me thinks men are easy to please, and pop culture doesn't generally tell me otherwise. ("Steak and a Blow Job" Day, anyone?) But sometimes guys surprise me by having, yknow, feelings and stuff when it comes to what makes them happy in a relationship.

Last night, I enlisted the help of some friends in coming up with good relationship topics to pass on to you Smitten readers. After we inevitably covered several X-rated topics, which I vetoed because BLUSH!, we stumbled across a sweet topic that surprised me. The married guy (I'm just going to call him MG) in our group asked a question that stumped us all: What's the most romantic thing a girl has ever done for a guy? Small things, sure, but we womenfolk couldn't come up with many grand gestures we'd made, and the guys at the roundtable struggled to think of a romantic moment created by their ladyfriends, past or present. I thought this was fine since I doubted men would really appreciate a big romantic gesture the way most women would.

But MG, a self-professed "hopeless romantic" (awww), says that's not the case, and that men would actually love it if their girlfriends or wives took the initiative to create a special romantic gesture. There's a lot of pressure on men to create romantic moments for anniversaries, holidays or especially proposals, and while MG says he loves doing stuff like that, most guys would like it if women reciprocated once in a while.

His suggestion of a romantic gesture he'd love? Surprise your guy with a special meal when he comes home, but don't just eat in front of the TV the way you usually do. Set the scene in a different area of the house (I'm thinking picnic on the living room floor), play some soft music, and "make it feel as if the world is shut off around you". (That's a direct quote from a man, ladies.) And obviously, since this is a guy's fantasy romance, wear something hot. Because of course, there's a fine, blurry line between romance and sex. Chances are, you'll end up crossing it and making some memories right there on the floor, and according to MG, your guy will feel happy every time he's in that room again.

Are you surprised to hear that this is something a guy might like? I'd love it if a guy did something like this for me, but I've always assumed that guys would see gestures like this as a little too much. MG does caution that such romantic efforts are best employed in established relationships, not in the dating phase, but says that men, just like women, want to know that their significant other values them enough to sweep them off their feet once in a while.

Do you make grand romantic gestures for your guy? Will you try this one? Would he like it if you did?